Offender Case

which they could receive within the community. While they are in prison, these offenders often receive little or no treatment for their addiction. Once they are released, they majority of these offenders return to their former communities and their old way of life. This in turn leads to recidivism thus further contributing to the problem of overcrowding.

Overcrowded prisons create a multitude of problems. Overcrowding in prisons is a major source of administrative problems and affects staff and inmate’s heath, behavior, and morale. Prison systems that experience rapid growth are more difficult to manage, and have less security and control; this increases levels of conflicts, violence, and prison rapes. There are fewer resources available for inmates, that include educational, vocational, and rehabilitation programs. The limitation of these resources adds to the stress and hostility felt by inmates. Another problem is that of misclassification. Due to the limited number of beds, prisoners are often classified according to available space rather than the appropriate security level. This not only slows down their progress through the system, but it puts further stress on the already overwhelmed system of available programs that would prove beneficial to the inmate. The problem of misclassification due to overcrowding also places the inmate in a vicious cycle where failure is inevitable. The cycle begins with putting the prisoner in the wrong classification, followed by a negative reaction caused by the stress and lack of progress through the system and a lack of available services. These negative reactions usually take the form of inappropriate behavior, which leads to sanctions, and the label of failure to adjust, this delays parole the prisoner remains for a longer period of time contributing to overcrowding.

Another problem that contributes to overcrowding is the incarceration of offenders who are mentally ill. Since mental hospitals were closed in the 1990’s, the burden of caring for this population has been put on prisons and jails. The problem is these inmates require special services they do not receive while they are in the system. As a result, these inmates usually end up in segregation because they cannot cope with the people